Indiana to consider used tire bill

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana legislature will consider a bill sponsored by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association that would ban the installation of unsafe used tires for road use.

Rep. Robert Morris, R-Fort Wayne, chairman of the Indiana House Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development Committee, introduced the bill Jan. 9.

"We are very grateful to Rep. Morris for his strong leadership on this important issue," said Anne Forristall Luke, U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) President and CEO.

"We are excited at the opportunity to advance a key consumer safety initiative in Indiana, which is an important state to our industry."

The tire manufacturing industry in Indiana generates $3.5 billion in economic output annually and supports more than 18,000 jobs, including nearly 2,000 in manufacturing, the USTMA said.

Based on the USTMA's model legislation, Indiana House Bill 1774 would prohibit the installation of used tires with less than 2/32 inch of tread; tires with damage that exposes steel belts or other internal components; tires with improper repairs; or tires with bulges that indicate internal damage leading to tread separation.

A USTMA-sponsored used tire bill became law last year in New Jersey, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a similar used tire bill that passed the Texas legislature.

The Ohio Senate has passed used tire legislation, and Arizona approved a bill that was not inspired by the USTMA but does define waste tires in an effort to prevent their sale as used tires.

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